"... The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way."
--- MAY THEIR MUSICAL GIFTS LAST FOREVER ---

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sept. 26: "The Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith died on this day in 1937..

Born in 1892 or 1894, in Chattanooga, Tennessee - the records are sketchy- Bessy Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists.

To earn money for their family, Bessie and her brother Andrew began busking on the streets of Chattanooga as a duo: she singing and dancing, he accompanying her on guitar. Their favorite location was in front of the White Elephant Saloon at Thirteenth and Elm streets in the heart of the city's African-American community.

Bessie Smith was signed by Columbia Records in 1923 and for most of that year, her records were issued on Columbia's regular A- series. When the label decided to establish a "race records" series, Smith's "Cemetery Blues" (was the first issued. She scored a big hit with her first release, a coupling of "Gulf Coast Blues" and "Downhearted Blues."

Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of her day. She made some 160 recordings for Columbia, often accompanied by the finest musicians of the day, most notably Louis Armstrong, James P. Johnson, Joe Smith, Charlie Green and Fletcher Henderson.

In 1929, Smith made her only film appearance, starring in a two-reeler titled St. Louis Blues, based on W. C. Handy's song of the same name. In the film, directed by Dudley Murphy and shot in Astoria, she sings the title song accompanied by members of Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, the Hall Johnson Choir, pianist James P. Johnson and a string section — a musical environment radically different from any found on her recordings.

(Continued below video and Amazon portal ...)

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Smith was critically injured in a car accident while traveling along U.S. Route 61 between Memphis, Tennessee, and Clarksdale, Mississippi. Bessie was taken to Clarksdale's Afro-American Hospital where her right arm was amputated. She died that morning without regaining consciousness.

Endless

About Me

Dear Fellow Music Lovers-
During my life, I've had the good fortune to live and travel to many places. What I've found wherever I go - whether I'm sitting in a blues club in Memphis or New Orleans, or a coffee shop or tavern in Caracas, Tel Aviv, or Sarajevo - people gather where there's music.
All over the World, people sing when they're happy and when they're sad; we sing when our heart is broken, and when our heart is ready to burst with love. We sing about puppies and politics - weather and whether not.
And when does music make us the happiest? On our birthdays; especially if someone remembers and sings happy birthday to us. That's why I started these sites. I hope when your friends, relative or other loved one has a birthday - including YOU! - you'll turn to this site and send them this page and a message.
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With kindness,
Music Lover